Sterling (Carolina Reapers 6)

“What are you doing?” I hurried to meet him halfway. “You’re going to take the ice in twenty!”

He glanced down at his gear then flashed me a severely cocky look that screamed obviously. “I wanted to give you this,” he said, extending the bundle toward me.

I tilted my head, wondering what in the world could be so important that he’d chase me down the hallway when he should be in the locker room prepping for the game. The arena was already packed with fans, and I’d been heading toward Langley’s office to tell her how the pre-game fan meet and greet had gone with Reaper Captain Axel—her husband.

Unrolling the fabric, I raised my brows when I saw the jersey.

A Reapers’ jersey with his name and number on it.

“They just came in,” he said.

“Thank you?” I meant it as a statement, but it sounded more like a question.

“I figured as an official Reaper you needed one,” he said, his eyes such a darker blue than Sterling’s. How could they have some similarities but be so vastly different? “One that didn’t have your brother’s name on it,” he continued.

“Thanks,” I said again. “That’s actually really sweet.”

I did have a plethora of jerseys with Caz’s name and number on it, and I tried to wear them in support as often as I could. It was nice of Maxim to notice that I might want to switch it up now that I actually worked for the team.

“Will you get a chance to watch today?” he asked.

The walkie on my hip flared to life, and I quickly answered Langley’s call. “Talking to Maxim, be right there,” I answered her inquiry as to why I was late. “Maybe,” I said to Maxim. “Have a great game.” I clipped the walkie on my side and started to turn.

“I’ll look for you,” Maxim said, flashing me a rare grin. He usually stuck to the dark and brooding giant in the corner for his moods, but after two years of him hanging around my brother, he had started to loosen up.

I flashed him a thumbs up and headed on my way, feeling slightly awkward in my own body. Maxim had slowly opened up over the years of knowing me, but nothing major. We were friendly, sure, but…I couldn’t put my finger on why the jersey and his recent attempts to seek me out made me feel twisted up inside. I shook my head as I made my way to Langley’s office, flashing Persephone a grin as I settled into the chair in front of Langley’s desk. I was overthinking things, as usual. Maxim was Caspian’s best friend—he just wanted to look out for me and go out of his way to be nice to me. Probably at Caspian’s request, too.

“What’s up with Maxim?” Langley asked, a sigh following the question. “Did he get into another brawl with Sterling?”

I quickly shook my head. “No, nothing like that.” I glanced down at the jersey folded neatly in my lap.

Langley followed my gaze, her brows raised. She glanced at Persephone, who took a seat next to me.

“The meet and greet went amazing with Axel,” I said, suddenly feeling all kinds of tense.

“I had no doubt it would,” Langley said, biting her lower lip. “That man has a way with people.”

I tried not to laugh—Axel was a hulk of a Viking who could make mortal men cower.

“So, Maxim?” Persephone nodded toward the jersey. “Are you two…” she let the sentence hang there.

I did laugh then. “Together? No!” I shook my head, another laugh stealing through me as I thought about the absurdity of it. Jansen had asked too, and I’d had to explain the same thing to him.

Heat flared in my core at the memory of Jansen’s searing kiss on that amusement park ride. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since.

“Maxim is Caspian’s best friend,” I hurried to explain. I held up the jersey in my hand. “This is just him being a friend.”

The two shared a skeptical look, and I swallowed my laughs.

It was just a friendly gesture, right? There was no way Maxim—dark and mysterious and could have any girl he wanted—was interested in me. It had never been that way whenever between us.

“Sterling, then?” Langley asked. “We’ve noticed how his mood did a one-eighty on his attitude toward promos—”

“No,” I cut her off, but my heart did a little hiccup. Memories of our kiss raced red-hot through my mind. God, I’d lost myself in him like I’d been starved for that kind of kiss. Consuming, slick, and electrifying. He’d brought my body to life in places I hadn’t known existed. With. Just. A. Kiss.

And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want more.

Because I did.

But I wasn’t about to tell my two superiors that.

“No,” I said again because they were staring at me like they couldn’t tell if I was lying to them or myself or both.